Third time's a Splendor, a "live-ish" report for January 21-February 8, 2023 cruise

[gwesq]

31 minutes ago, carolina cruisin said:

Now you have me a bit concerned.  Do not recall reading about these issues previously - but imagine it has been addressed.  We are about to embark on a btb out of Miami - with the second leg being 7 days.  Thank goodness we have a balcony to retreat to if need be.  Will remain optimistic and enjoy ourselves - and hopefully meet new people.

I am aware of one group that will be on that 7 day portion. My former TA is escorting a group. I don't believe they will be any "trouble" like that insurance group mentioned above, but they may take up some venues with a private party or two.  

[-Lew-]

1 hour ago, carolina cruisin said:

Now you have me a bit concerned.  Do not recall reading about these issues previously - but imagine it has been addressed.  We are about to embark on a btb out of Miami - with the second leg being 7 days.

 

A lot depends on whether your plans coincide with those mentioned by @CruiserFromMaine.  We're on the 7-day itinerary right now and have not experienced what he has related.

 

Your 7-day coincides with school vacation in the Northeast, so there may be more kids sailing than usual.

[carolina cruisin]

2 hours ago, -Lew- said:

 

A lot depends on whether your plans coincide with those mentioned by @CruiserFromMaine.  We're on the 7-day itinerary right now and have not experienced what he has related.

 

Your 7-day coincides with school vacation in the Northeast, so there may be more kids sailing than usual.

Thanks to you and "gwesq".  Am not going to get overly concerned.  We can always find a quiet spot and doubtful we will be involved with any late night revelers.  Just a note to keep in mind for future cruises.,

[CruiserFromMaine]

Things seem to have calmed down after the first night’s excitement for some people. 

[CruiserFromMaine]

On the Splendor.

 

I’m getting behind again…funny how when you don’t have anything to do, you don’t do anything!

 

After lunch on the sea day, we relaxed around the ship. Of course we visited the Observation Lounge to hear Gino before dinner in Compass Rose. We had a nice dinner there, but unfortunately I don’t recall all of what we had. I know my wife had the duck breast that was very good. Oddly, the duck breast was listed on the spa menu but with 1,310 calories and 91 grams of fat! 

 

We were tired from a long day of being at sea, so we skipped the show and retired early. 

 

The next day was a sea morning, with a nice breakfast in Compass Rose. I had the waffles and they were quite good. The waffles, pancakes and French toast are all good there and those items seem to challenge some kitchens. 

 

Lunch was at the pool grill, featuring a Greek-themed buffet. Quite good. Then we went to the theater for our tour, The Best of Roatan. It took about 30 minutes for our tour to be called, but we finally boarded a really tight van and headed out. The highlight for me was a flat-bottom boat ride around the protected harbor at French Cay. The water was very clear and our guide there was very good. The island of Roatan has some beautiful areas but also seems down on its luck, like many Caribbean locations. 

 

Dinner was in Pacific Rim last night—excellent again! I had the soft shell crab tempura, pork dim sum and the barbecue pork ribs. I had the coconut tre leches for dessert. My wife had a wonderful meal as well, including the lobster tempura and raspberry sake sorbet. Our day caught up with us again so we retired early. 

 

We woke up in Belize today, at Harvest Caye. A quick breakfast in Compass Rose (cereal, yogurt and eggs) then off to explore Harvest Caye. It’s a well-constructed and well-manicured depiction of Belize. We probably should have done an excursion. Oh, well. We had a nice lunch in Prime 7 then off to the infinity pool. 
 

Photos below from Roatan.

 

More later! 
 

[CJANDH]

On 1/22/2023 at 10:55 PM, gwesq said:

 

I thought everyone did away with herding all the passengers for a muster drill.

Only Disney and the NCL Group have switched back to the old style muster. Royal and Carnival brands say they are staying with the E-Muster that is strongly preferred by most cruisers. Sorry to see Regent has regressed.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

1 hour ago, CJANDH said:

Only Disney and the NCL Group have switched back to the old style muster. Royal and Carnival brands say they are staying with the E-Muster that is strongly preferred by most cruisers. Sorry to see Regent has regressed.

It's for our safety. Lots won't really pay attention during the video, and that means greater chaos during a real emergency. Small price to pay.

[cwbegg]

My experience with the Muster Drill is that it was excellent for meeting other passengers. 😀I hope Regent continues with in-person drills and with other events that create opportunities to meet other passengers. 

[-Lew-]

21 minutes ago, cwbegg said:

My experience with the Muster Drill is that it was excellent for meeting other passengers.

 

That's a first... 🙄

[GOARMY]

CDANDH:  Maintaining civility in this response. 

 

Following "take" is diametrically different from yours.  This is based on various cruises on various cruise ships over the last 28+ years.  No problems.  BUT, 

 

Then a Real-world experience experienced when being blasted out of our calm 0015H sleep by a klaxon screech.  In the South Atlantic.  Nothing so focuses the mind than being awakened when the First Officer on Bridge of that Cunard ship advised:  

 

"THIS IS NOT A DRILL!"

 

Refer to Page 2.  Site is:  "Muster Drill".  I, amongst others, made several postings.  Please review and consider what is to be gained through an exercise which requires muscle memory, physical contact, and ability to process and follow directions in a REAL emergency.  What is the relative cost?  A short period of "inconvenience".  Small price.   

 

Update.  Followed-through by communicating to NCL and Regent management supporting the decision to go back to Real-World, common-sense in-person Drills on the afternoon of the first day of any cruise segment. 

 

Let us now return to our normal programming on this Thread.  

 

Stay safe, everyone.  And, happy sailing(s). 

 

GOARMY!

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 5, 2023 by GOARMY
Context

[Kwaj girl]

8 hours ago, -Lew- said:

 

That's a first... 🙄

 

Actually....that's how we met our new Trivia partners for our current cruise on Voyager 👍

[Crosspost]

On 2/3/2023 at 9:35 PM, BettyDol said:

I sure agree with "Cruiser from Maine" about avoiding BTB cruises with a 7 day segment.  Pre Covid  we were on a 17 day BTB cruise on Voyager in the Caribbean.  The first 10 day segment was a wonderful Regent experience.  On the second 7 day segment 75 passengers stayed on. The remainder of the passengers consisted of 2 corporate "incentive" groups.  Each group had 300 people. One group consisted of Realtors with families included. This group was Ok with the exception of monopolizing several public spaces.  The other group was an Insurance Company and was made up of 25 to 30ish couples.  They were a NIGHTMARE. Examples included partial nudity, vomit, broken glass and beer bottles IN  the pool.  One night in Prime 7 we were seated next to a table of 6 for a 9 o'clock reservation.  That table ordered 18 entrees for 6 people, at 9 0'clock.  We felt so sorry for the Staff.  Suffice to say none of the 75 continuing guests were happy.  I now personally avoid any 7 day Caribbean Cruise.

We were on this cruise, it was a complete nightmare. We had booked a lovely 17 day cruise and were told it was sold out, then Regent suddenly split it at the last minute and suddenly there was availability for the first 10 day leg... . When we complained to the General Manager about the fact our trip had been ruined by these people he said 'why did you book a 7 day cruise' which we interpreted to mean that everyone knows that these kind of corporate events take place on 7 days cruises - well we did not and we also booked a 17 day cruise! The insurance sales people were an absolute disgrace, clogging up the kitchen by each cabin ordering everything off the room service menu 'because they could'. Permanently drunk (including through the safety drill) and half naked most of the time and chatting through the shows like they were sitting in their front rooms watching the TV.  Jason Montague promised it would never happen again, which is why we continued to travel with Regent, but now he has stepped down as CEO...

[Crosspost]

Is anyone watching season two of 'The World's Most Expensive Cruise Ship' about Regent Splendor? Available on You Tube and broadcast on a Friday night in the UK on channel 5. We would never dream of telling anyone we know socially that we have been on the Splendor once they started using this tag line - all they talk about is how much things cost and give completely the wrong idea about the type of people travelling. What was Regent thinking when they agreed to do it without the charm and down to earth approach of John Barron to water it down? This week an unshaven General Manager Franck managed to  mess up the renewal of wedding vows for a couple on board - he said that he does not like public speaking and clearly no-one had told him how to pronounce 'spouse'   - so what was he doing in the limelight in the first place! Regent needs to play to their strengths and not to the aspirations of their staff. Lorraine was lovely as ever.

[mrstanley]

Is Lorraine the Cruise Director?

[Wendy The Wanderer]

2 hours ago, mrstanley said:

Is Lorraine the Cruise Director?

On Splendor? No. David Neven. So much better.

[jeb_bud]

2 hours ago, mrstanley said:

Is Lorraine the Cruise Director?

There was a film crew onboard last July, when Lorraine was CD. We’ve been on three Regent cruises so far and every time Lorraine was CD. We have four more cruises in the queue and I imagine at some point we’ll cruise with another cruise director. 

[mrlevin]

7 hours ago, Kwaj girl said:

 

Actually....that's how we met our new Trivia partners for our current cruise on Voyager 👍

And I have been trying to get on your trivia team for ten years. 😉

[Kwaj girl]

33 minutes ago, mrlevin said:

And I have been trying to get on your trivia team for ten years. 😉

 

Are we sailing together sometime this year?  Perhaps we'll meet at the lifeboat drill drill and team-up!

[Crosspost]

17 hours ago, mrstanley said:

Is Lorraine the Cruise Director?

Yes, in the show Lorraine is Cruise Director on the Splendor but the show seems fairly focused on the social hostess Lizzie

[CruiserFromMaine]

On the Splendor.

 

We had a nice dinner in Chartreuse on Saturday. I had a duck foie gras starter and a veal entree, and the floating island dessert.  The dessert was excellent and the others good, but I thought my first meal there was better. We had an early start to the day, plus we lost an hour as we set the clocks ahead, so it was an early night for us.

 

Yesterday was Costa Maya. We had a quick breakfast in La Veranda then off to see the Mayan ruins at Chacchoben. I thought this was a fascinating tour, and one I’ve been looking forward to. It was our first visit to Mayan temples.

 

The ride from the ship was about an hour each way, and we had a good two hours there. Ours was the only ship in port so we were able to experience it without crowds. Our guide said some days they have 17 busses of tourists! The “reclamation” is still in its very early stages; the area was discovered only in 1972 and not uncovered until 1994, whereas Pompeii was restored beginning in the 1700s. It is slow work, hindered by the close jungle that has overtaken the area. Still, it is impressive to see the temples that have been restored. 

 

A nice lunch with a burger with lobster and corn aioli and a margarita, then relaxing and, frankly, a nap. Then off to the Seven Seas Society reception where Anthony sang for us. We learned there were 671 guests on board for this cruise. 

 

We had dinner in Compass Rose. The porcini risotto was delicious and the spicy beef stir fry was very good as well. Not spicy like chile or jalapeño but with some warming spices. My wife had the miso glazed sea bass that was also excellent. 

 

We had seen David Nevin’s show in the last cruise and while we loved it, we skipped it this time and headed to a nearly abandoned Observation Lounge so had a nice chance to talk with Gino de Luca. He’s the perfect person to play in the Observation Lounge. 

 

We’ve got a late excursion in Cozumel today. A quick breakfast in La Veranda and a salad at the pool grill before we head off for a Mexican cooking class. 

Photos of Mayan temples and floating dessert

Edited February 6, 2023 by CruiserFromMaine

[CruiserFromMaine]

I had this typed up a couple days ago, and then forgot to post it…

 

Now, sadly, off the Splendor…

 

After packing and snacking with our cheese plate and champagne last night, we headed up to trivia. A first for us on this cruise! We had 2 Regent points and wanted to get more or give away our points. We did ok for a team of two, but gave away our points to a team of ladies who told Ellie she was so kind. They were glad to have them. 

 

We listened to Gino in the Observation Lounge before dinner again (of course!) and Ellie had one more gin martini with blue cheese olives. I had a vodka martini. Then off to one more dinner in Compass Rose. It was a lovely dinner again (of course!). I had escargot, risotto and the Thai curry chicken. And the very delicious chocolate coffee caramel soufflé for dessert. Ellie had the porcini crusted salmon for an entree. We also shared some butter pecan ice cream for dessert. 

 

I’ll wrap up final thoughts in another post but the food has been very very good on this cruise! 

 

After dinner we listened to the first part of the Broadway show/interview but it’s not our cup of tea so we left to hear Gino at 10pm (of course!). We had a chance to chat with him as well. It turns out he will be on the Grandeur next March when we’re on—yay! Also Jorge from Compass Rose will be on then too! More reasons to look forward to that cruise!

 

One more sleep in our suite then up early to finish packing and out by 8am. One more nice breakfast in Compass Rose and then we did self disembarking to meet friends of ours who picked us up around 9am. Clearing Immigration was easy, maybe 5 minutes from getting “binged” off the ship to the passenger pickup area. There was only one other ship in port—a Virgin ship. 

 

I’ll post some final thoughts tomorrow. 

[RachelG]

Finally got a chance to catch up and read the entire thread.  Wendy and David, so glad you finally got to do another cruise!

 

As far as groups on board, there are a couple of different varieties.  The TA groups and alumni groups tend to be fine. The members are paying for their own trip which makes a difference. We have been a part of TA group many times, and most people outside the group don't even realize there is a group onboard with the exception of a couple of venues being closed a few times for group events.

 

The incentive groups are a whole other ballgame, and I would avoid those like the plague if there were a way to know about them ahead of time.  Those include people who have never cruised before or only done mass market, and the open bar is a big problem with some of the group. 

[Wendy The Wanderer]

3 hours ago, RachelG said:

Finally got a chance to catch up and read the entire thread.  Wendy and David, so glad you finally got to do another cruise!

Thank you so much, Rachel.  It was wonderful, and Splendor is indeed a lovely ship.

 

8 hours ago, CruiserFromMaine said:

Clearing Immigration was easy, maybe 5 minutes from getting “binged” off the ship to the passenger pickup area. There was only one other ship in port—a Virgin ship. 

 

So I presume you disembarked at Terminal J?  We were shunted to B, which meant a *very* long walk from the ship to Immigration and exit, and then had to wait for a shuttle to the parking lot.  If we had known what a long walk it was, we would have both got wheelchairs!

[GeorgiaPeach51]

Thoroughly enjoyed going on the cruise with you, and your reports and observations.  It takes time to do it, and it is appreciated.  Reading it was a nice way to start the day!

 

Joanie

[CruiserFromMaine]

@GeorgiaPeach51—thank you! I now have an even greater appreciation for thread-captains (like you!) who post longer and more detailed reports!

 

16 hours ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

So I presume you disembarked at Terminal J?

Yes, terminal J. I’m sorry you had such a long walk after you disembarked. I don’t know the algorithm behind what terminal they use. People on the second cruise got on at B and off at J.